For those that fear coming to Australia!

[kevinlms]

A good source of revenue for NSW, is from Victorian drivers who make a U-turn at traffic lights. In NSW these are banned, except where specifically signed (if any), whereas in Victoria, it's exactly the opposite, when you can make U-turns, unless signed banning them.

 

Yes of course vehicle registration state depends entirely on the address of the registered owner.

[Gwiwer]

Who are you looking at???  
 

 

You mind your business - I’ll mind mine 

 

 

Taken at Loch Sport in 2012. 

[Ozexpatriate]

8 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Absolutely.  There are some who routinely shop across the border because it's cheaper for example.  That might only involve a few minutes drive - it's not as if they were taking the day out just to get the beers in.

No different here in the US. Portland and Vancouver are essentially one conurbation, separated by a river, but have differing State laws - including income and sales tax.

 

8 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

For practical purposes Australia remains a continent of several different nations much like mainland Europe with similar laws and conditions yet with each state having very much its own take on things.  

 

Including what fried slices of potato in batter are called! 

Much more alike to the US than the EU in my experience, though Aussie vernacular has relatively more variation, though there are some exceptions like the regional US terms for sandwiches - particularly those on a long roll - sub(marine), hoagie, grinder, etc.

 

Some places (like Philadelphia) have a lot of their own terms ('MAC machine' for ATM) in addition to dialect (wooter for water and wit meaning 'with cheese' on your cheesesteak sandwich).

 

Edited January 15, 2023 by Ozexpatriate

[Ozexpatriate]

9 hours ago, kevinlms said:

Don't forget that NSW has Daylight Saving, but Queensland doesn't. If they can deal with that, potato in batter is a minor issue!

The 'togs' versus 'cozzies' debate is overcome by calling them 'boardies', bikinis, 'scungies' etc that describe the garment rather than the purpose.

 

Back in the days when there was a fence and a gate with an agricultural inspection, 'crossing the border' into Tweed Heads was actually a big deal.

[Gwiwer]

19 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Back in the days when there was a fence and a gate with an agricultural inspection, 'crossing the border' into Tweed Heads was actually a big deal.

It can still be different time across the street there with NSW on daylight-saving and Qld not.  

 

I didn't even notice a border crossing when I went through.  Just as I didn't notice any form of security entering or leaving the Fruit Fly Exclusion Zone on several occasions.  Just a p.a. announcement by the coach captain to the effect that if anyone had any fruit it had to be placed in the bin beside him.  No-one got up.  No stop was made and there was only a much shot-at roadside sign to delimit the zone.  

 

I would think fruit fly might be a far greater nuisance than Queenslanders 🤞

[SRman]

11 hours ago, kevinlms said:

A good source of revenue for NSW, is from Victorian drivers who make a U-turn at traffic lights. In NSW these are banned, except where specifically signed (if any), whereas in Victoria, it's exactly the opposite, when you can make U-turns, unless signed banning them.

 

Yes of course vehicle registration state depends entirely on the address of the registered owner.

Yes: I think Victoria is the only state that allows U-turns at traffic lights as a matter of routine. I forgot this once when driving in Queensland, with a mate on board. I did a U-turn at some lights, and there was a strangled gasp from said mate. 😁

As Gwiwer said, we are a nation of separate little nations with different rules for each. Rather annoying, really!

[SRman]

3 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

No different here in the US. Portland and Vancouver are essentially one conurbation, separated by a river, but have differing State laws - including income and sales tax.

 

Much more alike to the US than the EU in my experience, though Aussie vernacular has relatively more variation, though there are some exceptions like the regional US terms for sandwiches - particularly those on a long roll - sub(marine), hoagie, grinder, etc.

 

Some places (like Philadelphia) have a lot of their own terms ('MAC machine' for ATM) in addition to dialect (wooter for water and wit meaning 'with cheese' on your cheesesteak sandwich).

 

Yes, my wife's sister lives in Vancouver and informs us that many people there prefer to shop in Portland because there's no sales tax there. 

The reduced tax paid by Washington State residents in Vancouver may account for the atrocious public transport there, while Portland seems to fare rather better on that score - they are getting all the Vancouver people's money! 

As an aside, I used to have a T-shirt with "Someone Loves Me in Vancouver USA", and I'd be very rich now if I had a dollar for every time someone has tried to correct it by telling me Vancouver is in Canada! 🤣

Edited January 16, 2023 by SRman

[DavidB-AU]

On 15/01/2023 at 07:02, Gwiwer said:

NOTICE is Hereby Given

 

That within the forthcoming unspecified number of days an attempt shall be made here Upon the Hill of Strawberries to re-create the uniquely Australian delicacy known as the Potato Cake* 

 

* Other designations may be available.  But let's not go into that because it only causes confusion!  

 

That's almost a Holden vs Ford divide!

 

But on other fried potato products. here's a helpful guide.

 

[SRman]

2 hours ago, DavidB-AU said:

 

That's almost a Holden vs Ford divide!

 

But on other fried potato products. here's a helpful guide.

 

 

This can cause a little friction in the SRman household, when Australian-born Mrs SRman offers (English-born) me chips, and I think "Oh goody, I like chips!" and she then presents me with some crisps.

😅

Edited January 16, 2023 by SRman

[Hroth]

1 hour ago, SRman said:

 

This can cause a little friction in the SRman household, when Australian-born Mrs SRman offers (English-born) me chips, and I think "Oh goody, I like chips!" and she then presents me with some crisps.

😅

Australian chips should include the modifiers "hot" and "cold"...

 

[Gwiwer]

5 hours ago, SRman said:

 

This can cause a little friction in the SRman household, when Australian-born Mrs SRman offers (English-born) me chips, and I think "Oh goody, I like chips!" and she then presents me with some crisps.

😅

Much the same here when Aussie-born Dr. SWMBO asks me to pop around to the shops for a bag of chips.  
 

That’s not what she means. Not here, anyrate. 

[monkeysarefun]

Apparently on first contact you feel nothing and may not even know you've been stung. Meanwhile the venom is travelling to your spinal column where about half an hour later it shoots out through your central nervous system making you wish you were dead, one of the most intense pains in the world they say, and vinegar makes it worse!

 

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jan/16/two-people-stung-by-deadly-irukandji-jellyfish-near-cairns?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

[Gwiwer]

21 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

vinegar makes it worse!

The standard advice to always take vinegar with you if you absolutely can’t stay off beaches in stinger season works fine. Until it doesn’t. 

[monkeysarefun]

46 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

The standard advice to always take vinegar with you if you absolutely can’t stay off beaches in stinger season works fine. Until it doesn’t. 

Dousing an Irukandi sting with vinegar is still the recommended initial treatment advice given by both Queensland ambulance and surf lifesaving organisations, however some studies are showing that vinegar may in fact activate the venom cells and increase the dose by up to 70% and increase the amount of Analgesia required in the subsequent treatment. 

 

From Medical Journal Of Australia

 

https://www.mja.com.au/system/files/issues/206_06/10.5694mja17.00053.pdf

 

Edited January 16, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[kevinlms]

14 hours ago, SRman said:

Yes: I think Victoria is the only state that allows U-turns at traffic lights as a matter of routine. I forgot this once when driving in Queensland, with a mate on board. I did a U-turn at some lights, and there was a strangled gasp from said mate. 😁

As Gwiwer said, we are a nation of separate little nations with different rules for each. Rather annoying, really!

Yes, the U-turn rule definitely sorts out Victorians from the rest. There is nothing dangerous about doing them, if you've looked around carefully, before making one. It is totally alien to them - but can often be seen in Dash Cam of Australia (DCoA) on Youtube.

 

But we do get them back, by utterly confusing them on Hook-Turns in the city of Melbourne & now South Melbourne! Very good to take visitors from right side of road driving countries - they wonder what an earth you are doing, an insane act!

[Gwiwer]

2 minutes ago, kevinlms said:

Hook-Turns in the city of Melbourne

I remain to be convinced - after living with hook turns for 17 years - that they are the best solution to what isn’t even a problem. 
 

Introduced to avoid right-turning vehicles blocking Melbourne’s street-running tramways which are so sacred that they have right of way over everything and everyone. Except for a funeral, a State or Royal vehicle flying flags (i.e. an official visit) or an emergency vehicle travelling under blue/red lights. 
 

Twin tracks down the centre of the street (as they usually are) can be blocked by right-turning non-tramway traffic. The sign says “Right turn from left lane” with a curious pictogram of the move you should make. Very far from everyone takes a driving test within the tram-served areas and hook turns only exist in the City and in South Melbourne - and not at every intersection by any means - which leads to confusion and error.  It can also lead to traffic wishing to continue straight on deviating onto the tramway to get around the line of traffic stopped waiting to turn right. The system allows only 3-4 vehicles at a time to go. 
 

Even dyed-in-the-wool never-been-overseas Aussies get it wrong. A direct right turn might get you some ferocious sounding of tram gongs; pulling left signalling right confuses so many others and then it only takes one to turn and go without waiting for the “entry” light to change to green. A recipe for all the T-bonings I have witnessed and / or had to attend and clear up at when employed by the tramways. 
 

Melbourne’s streets are gridiron. Far FAR better to place an outright ban on right turns and make you go around the block. Across-left-left-left-left-across. No conflicts. Not much room for error. No trams were blocked in the making of this turn. 
 

 

[Gwiwer]

7 hours ago, Hroth said:

Australian chips should include the modifiers "hot" and "cold"...

 

And only the hot ones come with sauce 

[kevinlms]

6 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

I remain to be convinced - after living with hook turns for 17 years - that they are the best solution to what isn’t even a problem. 
 

Introduced to avoid right-turning vehicles blocking Melbourne’s street-running tramways which are so sacred that they have right of way over everything and everyone. Except for a funeral, a State or Royal vehicle flying flags (i.e. an official visit) or an emergency vehicle travelling under blue/red lights. 
 

Twin tracks down the centre of the street (as they usually are) can be blocked by right-turning non-tramway traffic. The sign says “Right turn from left lane” with a curious pictogram of the move you should make. Very far from everyone takes a driving test within the tram-served areas and hook turns only exist in the City and in South Melbourne - and not at every intersection by any means - which leads to confusion and error.  It can also lead to traffic wishing to continue straight on deviating onto the tramway to get around the line of traffic stopped waiting to turn right. The system allows only 3-4 vehicles at a time to go. 
 

Even dyed-in-the-wool never-been-overseas Aussies get it wrong. A direct right turn might get you some ferocious sounding of tram gongs; pulling left signalling right confuses so many others and then it only takes one to turn and go without waiting for the “entry” light to change to green. A recipe for all the T-bonings I have witnessed and / or had to attend and clear up at when employed by the tramways. 
 

Melbourne’s streets are gridiron. Far FAR better to place an outright ban on right turns and make you go around the block. Across-left-left-left-left-across. No conflicts. Not much room for error. No trams were blocked in the making of this turn. 
 

 

I quite like them, not that I go to the city that often.

 

I find them much superior to the 'left around the block' method that you mention. I've done that before and frequently it takes 20-30 minutes! Especially if it involves Flinders Street. Some locations have been removed and there is now a tram stop, which takes up the right lane - those are woeful to get through.

 

https://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/hook-turns

 

Note the difficulty MB had with them on self driving cars!

 

There used to an animated version showing how it's done, complete with the 'red light runner' in the right lane!

[Ozexpatriate]

4 hours ago, kevinlms said:

Yes, the U-turn rule ... There is nothing dangerous about doing them, if you've looked around carefully, before making one.

It depends. Much depends on the width of the road and the configuration of the intersection.

 

U-turns are not generally permitted here. They can be very dangerous when combined with the (legal) right* turn on red after stopping. Cars making a right* turn expect traffic with a turn arrow (green or flashing amber) to travel into the cross street, not reverse direction into the car making the right* turn.

 

* Analogous to a left turn for those who drive on the left.

[Ozexpatriate]

4 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Melbourne’s streets are gridiron. Far FAR better to place an outright ban on right turns and make you go around the block. Across-left-left-left-left-across. No conflicts.

Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts can.

[Ozexpatriate]

4 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

And only the hot ones come with sauce 

I'm imagining jalapeño kettle crisps with ranch dressing.

 

One of the great ironies is the Aussie chips branded "Smith's Crisps".

[monkeysarefun]

10 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

And only the hot ones come with sauce 

[kevinlms]

2 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

Some of the limited editions are weird, I don't remember that one.

[DavidB-AU]

2 hours ago, kevinlms said:

Some of the limited editions are weird

 

That's nothing on some limited editions from overseas!

 

[kevinlms]

Why not skunk flavour for the US market?